Original things for original people.

So in amidst of cleaning, I finally sorted out my scrap paper box and got it organized. I think that is the second hardest thing to organized in my little art space. Stamps are still number one. However you will be happy to hear that I finished going through the wooden stamps and gave the ones that I don’t used anymore to my friend J. She really loves me now. But I digress again.

So last Monday, I picked up the scrap paper box as I have done before several times. Except this time, something happened. I pulled a muscle in my back. Ouch is right. So after my shower, I took a couple of muscle relaxers and the worst case with them, I ended up talking to furniture.

Well not this time, I ended up being sick as a dog for the next three days. Although I am kind of thinking that it might have been stress that made me sick. I have been dealing with stress of my boyfriend’s daughter health problems, orders and now with Halloween coming up. And the biggest stress is the upcoming sales in Bentley. As usual, I have that little voice in my head telling me that I don’t have enough. I know, I know, “Lesley, stop listening to the voices in your head.”

Finally Friday, I dragged myself out of bed and went out to pick up some rubber cement for mail art. My back is still sore, but very SLOWLY getting better. It is testing my patience again. And I can’t work on my cards or albums until my back is better because I am constantly bending down and picking up stuff. I can however knit and crochet so I am working on a scarf right now. But I want to paint and do some mail art. I know, I know, I am never happy.

It is that time again where I have to order new business cards. But I have been thinking. I have been making ATCs, artist trading cards. To relieved boredom, use up left over paint, try out new techniques, etc. Unfortunately, I have made too many where I actually had to throw some out.

So that is where the idea of making them into business cards. Since Original Things’ motto is “Original things for Original People” The only downfall to this is that it doesn’t show the yarn side of this. But to be honest, I have not found any business cards design that doesn’t have yarn and paper. And the logo still eludes me.

With the internet growing bigger and bigger everyday. And Big Brother seem to be more and more intrusive, our privacy seems to diminish. I started to wonder of how much do I allow myself to be expose?

With Original Things, I do post pictures of what I am made or working, and when and where my sales are. If I don’t do that, then I don’t make a sale. That is common sense. That I understand.

And yes, I have posted a few personal details of my life in this blog. But how much do I open myself up to the world while still retaining my privacy?

My boyfriend forbid me to show pictures of his children on this site or any other site. I can show pictures of what I made for them, but that is about it. If I do post pictures of children, I admitted, I lied about them. I lied about their age, where they lived, everything. Even when I post about my friends, I always posted their first initial.

However several of the artists had told me I need to expose myself even more in order to make my business work. And that is what is perplexes me. How much can I expose myself without getting into trouble?

Many years ago, Geraldo Rivera exposed child sex ring where the molesters would post pornographic pictures of their victims, children on the internet to share. He basically said that it was going to haunt the victims in years to come. A perfect example, he gave was if one of them was going to run for office, someone can easily google his name and boom, there are the pictures. His career and life is over before it even began.

That has stuck with me ever since. I am DEFINATELY NOTa child molester or any other monster like that. However I am born with a condition called achondroplasia dwarfism, which means I am a little person or midget. By the way, I freaking HATE that word midget. I had a MySpace page where I did actually posted a picture of myself and holy catfish, I had several offers of men wanting to have sex with me. Not because I was pretty, or kind or I make the best fudge. It was because they all had a midget sex fantasy. Seriously I don’t get that fetish.

Several month ago, a group of teenage girls wanted a selfie with me, and take a big guess why? Yup, because I am little person. To be honest, I was very grateful that my boyfriend wasn’t there with me because trust me, he would have chewed them out.

Which is why I am extremely hesitated of showing my face online. I rather have my work speak for itself. Does it really matter that I am short, that I have dark hair or blonde. Or my eyes are brown or blue?

I assumed that my last post was in May, not March. Opps. Once again, I can make flimsy excuses saying that my computer had a bug, then I had one. Or I finally got down and dirty and cleaned up my work space. I am still cleaning, but I got about half done. I threw out and donate a great chunk of out. Donate as I gave it to my friend J. I mentioned it to my boyfriend and he wondered if she would be so grateful that she would kiss me on the lips. Pervert. And no, she didn’t, she hugged me.

I still have several more canvas boxes to sort out. Which I am kind of dragging my feet. When I go through them, I find things that I haven’t used in 5 years and have no intention of using. So why I am keeping them? Get rid of them and make stuff for the new toys.

Except that little voice in my head is telling me, “It’s so pretty.”

De-cluttering is definitely a battle between the brain and the heart.

And of course, it doesn’t help with the weather being so hot with the temperatures reaching 32. And of course, our air conditioner dies. Good news is now working, which means I can’t be on my computer because as you know, it blows cold air at me, drying out my eyes and giving me an ear ache.

I am still working on the Cheap Art Challenge which is giving me a run for my money. I honestly thought that this was going to be a simple, and relaxing challenge. Oh hell no.

My first attempts got wreck because of the supplies. And here am I rooting for cheap supplies, saying it is the skill, not the supplies that make you an artist. Third one, I spilled paint water all over it. I am not giving up on it, but at the same time, I feel like I am hitting my head against the brick wall.

I know the big reason is the subject that I am using a photo from someone I admired. And he see the works which it is kind of adding more pressure to me. I know, he has no intention to do that and he is ok if I don’t use his photo.

But I did finally finish this mini elephant photo album.

There is some good news, my boyfriend’s child is finally out of the hospital and doing good. In fact, she is being a little devil, (in a good way). When she was released, I was in the middle of 3 deadlines where I told him that I didn’t have time to spend with him. She found out and asked if that means that he get to spend more time with her and her sisters. That little sneak.

There is more. I gave her a get well package which included this. Thank goodness, my friend J was a former nurse which was a tremulous help in this, telling me of what was accept and not accept in hospitals.

Her sister saw it and asked my boyfriend if I can make her a monkey. And of course, he said yes. And the way he asked was strange. We were talking and he said “(Name) like monkeys.” And then I said, “Of course, they are a lot easier to take care than elephants.” A few seconds later, I asked him, “Am I missing something?” That is when he told me about that she wanted me to make her a monkey. It is coming along slowly, except I ran into the nightmare that every crocheter and knitter fears.

I ran out of yarn. I went to several stores trying to find that shade of brown. I found it online, but I don’t have a credit card. My boyfriend told me that he will take care of it, and until I get the yarn, there is nothing else I can do.

I have been busy trying to get Mother’s Day, Graduation, and Father’s Day cards done before my holiday. And I had a last minute order for more wedding and sympathy cards which I have one more wedding card to do tomorrow. I am trying to get everything done because I am planning to go on a little holiday. To be honest, I would like to go on this holiday for several weeks, but I have a feeling that I can afford a week. Afford as not in money, afford as in time wise.

One of my hairdresser’s customers is having a craft sale down in Pigeon Lake and she wants to sell my cards and teddy bears for me. And all of the stuff needs to be done by mid-May. The sale is at the end of May which means after Mother’s Day, but it is in time for Father’s day and Graduation.

Anyway, I have been thinking and watching videos of what to bring art journal wise. Some people had good ideas and good advice when you are planning to fly. I am not flying, my destination is Edmonton, a couple hour away from here. I want something to doodle while watching tv. I know of what not to bring, like my acrylic paints, my Cricut machine, and paper cutter for example. But that still leaves a lot like my watercolor pencils, pencils, eraser, pens. I am thinking of precutting a few watercolor sheets to one of my art journal sizes and card sizes. Maybe I will paint a few pretty pictures for my cards.

Other then that, everything else has been going crazy to the point where I am going to lose my mind. I definitely need a holiday.

I know it has been awhile . . . again since I last post. I have been still dealing with back problems and cleaning. This is my next big cleaning up project.

The clean stamps. I foresee a few slurpees and chocolates just to get through it. It is a complete mess.

Although a funny note is while I was sorting out my buttons, this truck button was stuck in this jar. I eventually got it out with a help from a friend. But still that question still remains, how the heck did it get in there if I can’t get it out. Good grief.

However I have participated in a few art exchanges. One was favourite quote on an ATC and we had to used a playing card. This was mine and the second one was the one I received from the exchanged. I went alittle overboard because I completely covered the playing card.

The quote is from Maya Angelou, “You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.”

These two are birthday cards for my nieces. I cannot believe one of them turned 18, ghee, it didn’t seem so long ago when she was playing with Barbie.

I did do a delivery for Koda’s Kountry for Easter. And please excuse my big toe in the shot

Right now, my voice is telling me that since I was born, I have a curved spine. And I also have arthritis in my lower back and hip so I am bound to have pain. It is also the middle of winter and having colds is common.

So it is realistic to have back spasms and it is a coincidence you caught a cold on the same day. Except the only coincidences that I believe are I showed up at a party wearing the same outfit as another person. Or I have pizza for lunch and my boyfriend takes me out to dinner and we ended up having pizza.

Anyway, so after I was finally able to moved the heavy boxes down where I can sort them out, my back started spasming like crazy. And on the second day, I caught a bad head cold where my ears were even hurting. So I spent the last two days in bed. I am still sick today, but at least my back is much better where I was able to move around.

So back to realistic expectation, I should have expected my back was going to give me grief while I was cleaning out and sorting out my arts and crafts despite that I was careful and took it slow.

And Rome wasn’t built in a day so why should I expect my art space to be organized in a week.

I’m starting to think that for my New Year’s Resolution for 2018, should be eat more chocolate, drink more slurpees, and do more impulse buying. Those are easier to keep than this.